H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) concluded a 2 days co-organizers retreat aimed at providing a draft on the key concept of the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) Summit. Ahead of the TICAD VI Summit which will be held in Africa for the first time, scheduled to be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya on the 27-28 August 2016, the retreat was critical for drafting a roadmap for a successful outcome of the summit.
TICAD VI Summit comes at a time the African Union is pushing for more impetus in Agenda 2063 and is calling on development partners to align their discussions and resource allocation to the aspirations articulated in the strategic framework of Agenda 2063. During the retreat, H.E Mr. Erastus Mwencha called for a more lateral and inclusive engagement during the August summit, as opposed to a bilateral approach between Japan and the African countries. In this regard, the Deputy Chairperson proposed and it was agreed, that the co-organizers purpose to work with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Africa Platform forum and other similar African level fora, as well as the private sector, for a better understanding of African issues and subsequently, a successful and meaningful TICAD VI Summit that captures the spirit and aspirations of Africans.
Mr. Mwencha observed that previous TICAD summits lacked a clear African agenda, underscoring the need for this historic Summit in Africa, to mainstream Agenda 2063 in the dialogue. During this year’s TICAD Summit, the delegates will review progress made in the 23 year history of Africa-Japan relationship under TICAD, particularly in view of Africa’s development agenda for the next 50 years.
[Description: TICAD 1] During the meeting, successful deliberations were held on the Theme and Sub-theme of the TICAD VI Summit. The focus of the 2016 Summit will be industrialization. The sub themes will lay emphasis on the key drivers for thriving industrialization through which African countries can achieve economic transformation. Further, considerations were made and six (6) sample logos were selected from twenty (20) logos designed by young scholars from Kenyan universities. From the 6, one logo will be selected for use during the Summit.
The retreat held at the Maasai Mara was attended by the Kenyan government representatives, the Japanese delegation, and other co-organizers from the World Bank, UNDP and the African Union Commission. In her remarks as the host country, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Amina Mohammed underscored the need for development partners to have better understanding of realities of Africa, its challenges and opportunities particularly as articulated in AU’s Agenda 2063. She expressed optimism that with a common interest, TICAD VI would deliver an unprecedented outcome for Africa as the first ever TICAD in the Continent.
During the retreat, the co-organizers instituted a TICAD VI Secretariat and appointed a Special Envoy for TICAD whose mandate is to ensure the success of TICAD VI.
A senior officials meeting will be held in Djibouti in March, thereafter to be followed by a Ministerial Meeting in Gambia in June, with both meetings expected to provide another opportunity to discuss indepth, the substantive issues for TICAD VI and its outcome.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of African Union Commission (AUC).
Source: Apo-Opa
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